Switching Places
by MysticalTears
Summary: What if something unsuspected happened? Harry and James Potter, both 16. As Time changes, the world did as well. Now, they're going to learn the differences between those years and how they can erase the mistakes of the past... by switching places.
1. The Purple Potion

**Full Summary:**

_What if something unsuspected happened? Harry and James Potter, both entering their sixth year, only in a different time. As Time changes, the world did as well. Now, they're going to learn the differences between those years and how they can erase the mistakes of the past... by switching places._

**Switching Places**

Chapter 01:

The Purple Potion

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, eyeing the purple liquid with a frown on his face.

"For thelove of Merlin,Moony, _yes_!" Sirius sighed. "It's safe!"

"But this potion is so hard to make..." he protested. "...Shouldn't it be darker?"

"_Moony_!" both Sirius and James yelled.

"I-I think R-remus is right..." Peter said. His voice was shaking. "I-it can go wrong in many ways..."

"Come on, Wormtail," Sirius grinned. "Even _you_ want to see how the future looks like! And besides, it's harmless. You'll only have a vision of it, nothing more."

"B-but what if it goes wrong?"

"We'll deal with that when it happens. Now, who goes first?" Sirius asked.

"I will," James said, volunteering himself.

"You're sure, Prongs?" Remus asked. "The future might not be as bright as you think it is."

"There, there Moony... Don't be so negative! I just want to know if Lily and I..." He finished that sentence with a smirk on his face.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "There we go again... Hey, Padfoot! Are you still there?"

"Huh, what? Oh... right." James filled a glass with the purple potion. "Well... Here goes nothing!" he said and drank it all in once.

"And?" Sirius asked, excited. "How do you feel? Do you see anything?"

"Nothing's happening," he answered, some-what disappointed.

"See?" Remus said. "I told you thatwe should have cut those Vivanium-flowers in the first lights of the Sun."

"Aww... but that was way too early," Sirius sighed. "And besides, nothing bad has happened anyway. It's a shame though... all the trouble we had, just to collect the ingredients and it all ended up to be worthless potion, isn't that right, Prongs? Prongs?"

"_James_!" Remus yelled.

James found himself unable to move. Everything spun around and his head was filled with thoughts that weren't even his own. Everything slowly went darker, until, finally, only darkness was there to greet him.

.:Before:.

Harry Potter lied on his bed, looking through the pages of his family-album. Photo's of him with his parents, photo's of Sirius... Photo's of the ones who had died, and would never come back...

When he'd reached the photo's that were made during his years in Hogwarts, he silently wondered if these people would soon only exist in pictures...

Tomorrow Ron would pick him up. He was going to stay at the Burrow for the last few weeks. He was already looking forward to it.

"BOY! COME HERE AND MAKE BREAKFAST WITH YOUR AUNT!"

But then again... who wouldn't look forward to it, if they spending half their summer vacation at the Dursley's? Somehow, the Order's warning hadn't worked as good as he thought it would.

When he stood up, he noticed that he was feeling dizzy. Oh no... he couldn't be sick now...

Slowly, Harry started moving downstairs. Everything was now spinning around him... he didn't even knew which direction he should go.

"BOY!" his Uncle Vernon barked.

Harry wanted to open his mouth but before he could do that, he tripped. Once on the ground, he didn't stood up again.

-

"Prongs! _Prongs_!"

"Merlin, what if we killed him?"

"Shut up, Wormtail! Prongs, can you hear me!"

"We killed him..."

"I said; shut up! Prongs, wake up mate."

He recognized those voices...

"Come on, Prongs! Please...!"

"Look! He's opening his eyes!"

"Thank God... Prongs, can you hear me? It's me. You're going to be alright."

Why did these people look so familiar...? Prongs... wasn't that...?

"Hold on, buddy. Moony just left. He's getting Madam Horspetch."

He knew this person... He definitely- Then suddenly it hit him. "Siri-" he tried to say, but it ended up in a cough.

"He needs water, Wormtail!"

Wormtail... Pettigrew, was he here? He wanted to get up, but his body did not cooperate. What happened? Suddenly he felt something cold and wets pressing against his lips.

"Here you go, James," Sirius said. "Drink up."

He swallowed the substance, which was most likely water, but in his mind, everything was a big mess. James... Sirius had called him James. But James is dead. And so is Sirius... But then... how...?

His eyelids began to get heavy... He felt terrible. He didn't understand what was happening. Maybe it was just a dream... It had to be... He closed his eyes and felt into a deep sleep.

--

Author's Note:

Sorry, I really had to stop here... So... what do you think?


	2. Confusing Moments

**Switching Places**

Chapter 02:

Confusing Moments

In Privet Drive, Number Four, James Potter had kind of the same experience. :humhum: kind of...

"He just felt down!" a woman's voice shrieked.

"He's probably faking, because he doesn't want to cook. Well, not in my house!" a grumpy voice said.

"Vernon, be reasonable! I don't think that he was planning to fall off those stairs."

"Maybe he was trying to commit suicide!" a younger voice said, in an hopeful way.

"Of course not, Dudders," the woman voice said. "We don't have_ that _kind of luck."

The grumpy voice appeared again. "Maybe we should check if he's still alive."

"You're going to _touch_ him, dad?"

"Of course not!" the woman said. "Do we have a long stick or something?"

James opened his eyes a little. He saw enough to know that he was lying on the ground.

"Mom, look! He's waking up!"

"Good, then he can start making breakfast."

"Vernon! The child is sick! What if we get infected! Who knows what kind of diseases_ his _kind has! Or what if those people come back again! How am I going to explain that to the neighbours! And what if they'll use _you-know-what _against us! You know what they did to poor Dudders! I don't want to risk it!"

The grumpy man didn't seem to be happy with it, but gave in eventually. "Yes, you're right Petunia... You'd better make this right tomorrow, boy!"

Petunia? As in: Lily's sister, Petunia? He had heard her complaining about her sister. Of course, at that moment he was under his Invisibility Cloak, but that doesn't matter...

James noticed that the pain was much lesser now. He turned his head a bit, so he could see the persons who were with him. There was a man with a large moustache, a thin woman with the face that looked like one of a horse and a boy at the size of a whale. Where was he? Where were his friends?

Suddenly he felt that he was pulled up the stairs by his shirt and dropped in a small room. What was happening? Was he kidnapped? But why would anyone try to kidnap him? Maybe this was just a prank...?

He let himself fall on the bed, trying to figure out what exactly happened...

There was a potion... a potion they made to get a vision of the future... Something must have gone wrong with the potion... Or this is his vision. Well, if it is, it sure feels real... And why was he living with three unknown people? No... it couldn't be a vision...

He then spotted a book, lying on the ground. The title was: Potions, part 6. He sighed at the discovery. The person who lives here is a witch or wizard, who is entering his sixth year... He wondered who it was.

-

Harry opened his eyes, immediately recognizing where he was. He had been here so many times... The Hospital Wing. But... how did he landed up here? He was at the Dursley's a minute ago!

"Mr. Potter, you're awake!" A woman come to him. Harry was confused. This wasn't Madam Pomfrey. Who was she?

"You're friends are worried," the woman continued. "They should, creating such a dangerous potion. Thank Merlin, you're alright.

"Potion?" Harry asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, the Livacium-potion. The one who makes you watch into the future. Apparently they didn't knew that the slightest mistake could end deadly. You're lucky that you just passed out, Mr. Potter, although your appearance changed a bit. Just side-effects, nothing to worry about. I'm sure that it'll disappear in time.

Where was this woman talking about?

"Where's Madam Pomfrey?" he asked. The woman looked at him surprised. "Miss Pomfrey? She's only here after class, remember? Maybe you don't know what the time is. It's 2 o'clock right now. The Gryffindors have a two hour long break so you can go to them if you want to. I don't see any reason to keep you here."

Harry just nodded. He had no idea where this woman was talking about. It was summer-vacation. School hasn't started yet, and she's talking about classes.

He walked out of the Hospital Wing. He had to find out what was wrong with the world.

-

James found out that he still had his wand. He couldn't find the wand of the person who lives here though.

He started thinking. Those Muggles acted like they knew him... Or this is really the vision, or they must had mistaken him with the person who lives here. The second option was a bit... unlikely. None of his family looked exactly like him, especially with the hair. And if there was an exact copy of himself in the world, what would he be doing with Lily's sister? But wait... it can't be Lily's Petunia. The woman he saw was much older and had a family of her own. How old can a sister be?

But... he remembered Lily mentioning a Vernon. The man was also called Vernon. Now he was really confused...

He almost had an heart attack when an owl flew in. Then he noticed how stupid that was of him; there was a cage in the bedroom.

The owl landed on the desk, having a letter tied to his paw. But she looked like she didn't want to give it to him. She looked at him suspicious.

"Hello..." James said. "Erm... my name is James... are you my owl or...?"

He noticed that the owl's eyes widened for a moment. Then he/ she hooted happily and flew to him. James wondered if that was a yes, but untied the letter.

'Harry' stood on the envelope.

Well, that settles it... Unless he was suddenly given another name, this wasn't his room.

Hi, Harry,

Are those Muggles still treating you the same, even after the warning?

Don't worry mate, we'll get you soon! Sooner then you think actually. I know we planned tomorrow, but we want to get you tonight. Actually, the Order wants to, since they think it's safer at night. I'm already glad that we're allowed to pick you up, after... you know...

Make sure that you're awake and fully packed. We're going to be there at 3 a.m.

Ron.

"So..." James said after reading the letter. "The person who lives here is named Harry?" he asked.

The owl hooted once as in a yes.

"What should I do then? I don't know a Ron and I'm sure that he doesn't knows me either... And what if they start asking me questions... I don't know how to answer those. I don't even know where I am."

Hedwig looked at him, like she was saying: You want to say _here_?

"Alright, I get the message," James muttered. "Do you have any idea where that Harry is?"

The owl now looked at him in sadness. It was a no.


End file.
